Method of knitting



March 20, 1956 P. L. sT. PIERRE 2,738,661

METHOD OF KNITTING Filed Oct. 51, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 20, 1956 P. L. s1'. PIERRE METHOD oF KNITTING 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed OCT.. 5l, 1952 /A/VE/vro/a.- Ffm L .vH/MRE,

| Vll A Company, Central Falls, R. I.,fa corporation of Massaf Y chnsetts `Application october 31, i952, serial N0.'31s,oo9` 6 Claims. .'(cl. tis-24)" This invention relates toV a new and usefulimprovement in methods of knitting hosieryhaving 2X 2 true vrib tops and, a1so,in methods and mechanism for transferring from `such rib knitting to plain knitting on circular, independent needle, knitting machines having a dial and cylinder.

The knitting of 2 X 2 true rib stocking tops on ribbers equipped with a dial, for subsequent hand transfer to circular hosiery knitting machines, is well known. The knitting of such rib tops on two-cylinder hosiery knitting machines and automatically shifting to lthe knitting of a plain knit leg, i-s also Vwell known. However, in the -iirst i case, no transfer from one type of knitting to another, lor

from one kind of needle to another, is involved and, in the second case, the shift'from rib to plain involves transfer of double ended needles from one cylinder to the other but no transfer of loops from one kind of needle to another. n

The knitting of a stocking having theabove` characteristics 'on a circular, independent needle, knitting machine of the'dial and cylinder typel is more 'diicult and complicated since it involves the transfer of loops knitted on' the dial needles to cylinder needles before the knittingof a plain leg can begin.

' The nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings of which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of 2 x 2 rib fabric followed by plain fabric and showing a transfer as effected by this invention; i

Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are diagrammatic illustrations, partly inl section, of dial needles and, in butts and the arrangement thereof;

Figure 6 shows two dial needles and the twocylinderv needles during the initial stage of the transfer operation;

Figure 7 is a similar view of the `same needles in the final stage of the transfer operation;

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of another type of automatic transfer from 2 x 2 rib knitting to plain knitting in which this invention is utilized;

Figures 9 and 10 are diagrammatic illustrations, partly in section, of dial needles and, in particular, their butts and their arrangement thereof for effecting the transfer shown in Figure 8;- f

Figures 11 and 12 are diagrammatic illustrations of the arrangement of dial and cylinder needles during the making of a run-proof selvage on 2 Xl 2 rib fabric; and

Figure 13 illustrates an arrangement of needle and jack cams whereby the cylinder needles are controlled during the'knitting of 2'X 2 rib and'subsequent plain knit fabric and, alsoduring the transfer from rib to plain.

l `As shown in Figure l, the fabric, assumed to be a stockingwtop, is composed of 2 X2 true rib fabric of which the loops knitted on the dial needles are shaded, whereas the loops knitted on the cylinder needles are unshaded. A top of this type may be started inthe well-known manner (see, for example, Manufacture of Knitted Footd wear, published by Leicester (Eng.) College of Art and Technology in 1930, volume 3, page 139) by altering the particular, their Unidas Parent 2 relation between the dial and cylinder needles from the usual 2 X 2 arrangement shown in Figure 11 to a 1 x 1 arrangement shown in Figure l2. This may be done automatically by means of any -suitable shogging mechanism, a number of which are well known. Any desired number of courses of 1 X 1 rib fabric may be knit, after which the needles are re-adjusted to the conventional 2 X 2 arrangement shown. in Figure 11 and the knitting of the 2 X 2 rib top carried out in substantially the same way as on a 2 x 2 ribber. In Figure 1, this portion of the fabric, exclusive of the initial edge which is not shown, is enclosed within the bracket A.

Upon completion of the 2 X 2 rib top, itis necessary to transfer the loops on the pairs of dial needles to cylinder needles. The obvious way, indicated by l X 1 rib transvfer practice, is to transfer the loops on the dial needles in succession to correspond with other cylinder needles depending upon the type of transfer made. However, in relation to some sizes of cylinder and some gauges of yarn, it has been found difiicult to transfer satisfactorily in this consecutive manner. Consequently, the method of transferring has been modified to overcome this diiiiculty and this modification is the subject in part of this invention.

' As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the dial needles are arranged in pair-s, each pair being spaced from the next in vaccordance with the usual arrangement for the knitting of 2 X 2 rib. Assuming that the dial rotates from left to right, as indicated by the arrow, the rst dial needle 1 is provided with a medium length butt 2, whereas its companion dial needle 3 has a long butt 4. This ar-V rangement continues for one quarter of the dial, the dial needles beingarranged in similar pairs 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

In the next quarter of the dial, needles are arranged in similar pairs but the iirst needle 10 in this quarter has a short butt 11 and its companion needle 12 has a long butt 13. This arrangement continues through the second quarter around the dial as indicated by the needle pairs 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18.

In the third quarter, the first pair of needles consist-s of needle 19 having a short butt 20 and needle 21 having a medium butt 22. This arrangement continues throughout the third quarter as indicated by the needle pairs 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27.

The fourth quarter is the same as the third quarter, each pair of needles consisting of a needle 28 having a short butt 29 and needle'30 having a medium butt 31, as shown at 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36.

This completes the circle of needles but, in Fig. 4, the beginning of the circle of needles is again shown and is continued in Fig. 5. The needles which have been repeated in Figs. 4 and 5 are indicated by the same reference numerals as in Figs. 2 and 3.

' When transfer of loops from dial to cylinder needles is to be made, transfer cam 37, which is vertically movable, is moved into position shown in Fig. 2, at which height it will engage Only'the long butts such as 4 of the dial needles. Consequently, as the dial rotates from left to right, as has been assumed, the long butt needle of each pair of needles throughout the first half of the dial will be projected. During thi-s operation, the cylinder needles, to which the loops on these dial needles are to be transferred, have been brought up in the usual way so that they` will pass through the dial needle loops and, upon retraction of the dial needles, will remove the loops therefrom.

As already explained, each pair of dial needles in the second quarter of this half of the needle circle consists of a short butt needle such as l() and a long butt needle such as 12. Consequently, at any time during'the passage `of this quarter of the needles, the transfer cam 37 can be lowered to a height at which it can engage not only the ously projected and the transfer will be effected in the samev way.

One revolution of the dial will be completed when the pair of needles 36 has been passed and the transfer of a loop from one of each pair of needles will have been accomplished. In Figs. 2-4 and as shown in Fig. 6, the needles referred to are the left needle of each pair. The other dial needles will not be projected so that their loops will not be transferred.

To complete the transfer, the remaining half of the loops on the dial needles must be removed to the cylinder needles. so as to engage the medium butt needles, it will now engage both the medium and the long butt needles which begin at-the left end of Fig. 4. This is the initial pair of Fig. 4 and the pairs 59 in Fig. 5 will be projected asv though to transfer loops from both of them. Also, the cylinder needle associated with each loop isv manipulated in the usual manner as though each were to receive a dial needle loop. However, since the dial needle loops have already been removed from the long butt dial needles, as explained above, there will be no transfer from these needles but the loops on the associated medium butt needles, such as 1, S, 6, 7, 8 and 9, will be transferred to cylinder needles.

While this is going on, transfer cam 37 is lowered still further so that it will be engageable with the dial needles having short butts, such as i0. Consequently, from this point, both the short butt dial needles and the companion long butt dial needles will be projected as though for transfer. However, since the loops have already been removed from the long butt dial needles, the only result of this operation is the transfer of loops from the short butt dial needles to cylinder needles.

During the remaining half of the second revolution of the dial, transfer cam 37 remains in the same position so that all of the dial needles in this half of the dial will be projected as though for transfer. However, since the loops have been removed from one of the dial needles of each pair, i. e., the left needle in Figs. 2-4, the only practical efect will be the transfer of the dial loops from the right needle of each pair of this half of the dial needles, regardless of whether the butts are either short or medium.

The transfer of all of the loops on the dial needles has now been completed. Two complete revolutions of the dial and cylinder have been required. The normal arrangement of cylinder needle cams and dial needle cams remains unchanged with thc exception of the positioning of the transfer cam itself, as above described, and the relation between the cylinder and dial needles remains normal throughout the transfer with the exception of the alteration brought about by the positioning of the transfer cam during the first revolution.

The nature of the transfer thus made is shown diagrammatically in Fig. l within the bracket B. In this figure, the dial needle loops are shaded for easy identification. They are composed, however, of thesame yarn as the adjacent unshaded loops of the same course. The loops transferred during the rst revolution of the cylinder and dial described above are 38, 39 and 4G. These have been transferred from dial needles onto bare cylinder' needles. The other half of the dial needle loops which are transferred during the second revolution of the dial and cylinder are indicated at 41, 42 and 43. Since all of the cylinder nee dles have taken yarn and knit duringl the previous ransfer Since the transfer cam 37 has been positionedV 4 of loops such as 38, 39 and 40, loops 41, 4Z and 43 will be transferred onto and knit with loops already on the cylinder needles.

This type of transfer may be used on all sizes of cylinders and in all gauges and with all yarns if desired but, as already stated, consecutive transfer from one dial needle after another may be successfully accomplished when conditions permit. 1f the latter practice is followed7 a modification suggestive of the type of transfer described above may be employed to advantage to insure that the transfer from the first pair of dial needles is successfully accomplished.

This modification is shown in Figs. 8-10. As before, the dial needles are arranged in pairs in the usual manner and the selvage and 2 x 2 rib top may be produced as described above. In this instance, however, the dial needles may have the conventional long and short butt arrangement in which one. half have long butts and the other half short butts with the exception of the. pair of dial needles at which the transfer'is to begin. For this pair, the leadingneedle shown at 44 in Fig. 9, which would normally be the first long butt needle, is a short butt needle. Its cornpanion needle 45 is a long butt needle and is followed by other pairs of long butt needles such as 46 for, it may be assumed, one half of the dial. The remainder of the dial needles may consist of pairs of short butt needles such as 47 and 48 (Figure 10).

Just before transfer is` begun, transfer cam 49, which is vertically movable, is positioned so as to engage the long butt needles only, as shown in Fig. 9. Consequently, the first needle to be projected for transfer will be long butt needle 45. Thereafter, each needle of each succeeding long butt pair such as 46 will be projected in sequence and, at some time during this operation, transfer cam 49 will be lowered still further so as to be engageable with the short butt needles as shown in Fig. l0. As these pass the transfer cam, they will be projected one after the other. The-final dial needle from which a loop is transferred will be short butt needle 44. In this manner, the uncertainty of obtaining a reliablev transfer from the first pair of dial needles is successfully overcome.

In Figure 13 is shown an arrangement of cylinder needle cams and jack cams` suitable for knitting, in conjunction with a dial, 2 X 2 rib fabric followed by plain fabric and the transfer from one to the other by any of the methods described herein. For knitting both the rib and plain fabric, the needles follow the path 50, the jacks being inactive whereas, for transfer, the jacks become active as indicated at 51 and, in consequence, direct the needles along the path S2 until it joins the path 50 prior to the passage of the needles through the knitting cams. The upward movement of the cylinder needles at 53, their passage at the high level 54 coincides substantially with the projection of the dial needles by the dial transfer cam, the engagement of the dial needles with the cylinder needles, the penetration of the loops on the dial needles by the cylinder needles and the completion of the transfer by the retraction ofthe dial needles.

The invention has been described as applied to hosiery having 2 x 2 rib tops, but it is also applicable to other multi-Wale ribs such as 3 x 3, 6 X 6, etc.

I claim:

l. A method' of knitting on a circular, independent needle, knitting machine of the dial and cylinder type in which multi-Wale rib fabric knit on groups of dial and cylinder needles arranged in rib relationship is auto matically transferred to plain fabric knit on cylinder needles which includes the steps of starting the transfer by projecting all but one dial needle in one of said dial needle groups to transfer loops thereon to cylinder needles in onecourse, and transferring the loop from the omitted dial needle to a cylinder needle in a subsequent course.

2. In a method of transferring loops of knitted fabric from dial needles to cylinder vneedles on circular, independent needle, knitting machines of the dial and cylinder type wherein the dial needles have been arranged in pairs, the steps of starting the transfer by projecting one needle only of one of said pairs of dial needles to transfer the loop thereon to a cylinder needle in one course, and transferring the loop on the remaining needle of said pair in a subsequent course.

3. A method of transferring loops of knitted fabric from dial needles to cylinder needles on circular, independent needle, knitting machines adapted to knit 2 x 2 rib fabric which includes the steps of knitting a plurality of courses of fabric on pairs of dial and cylinder needles in 2 x 2 rib relationship, transferring the loop of fabric from one of each pair of dial needles to a cylinder needle in one course, transferring the loop from the remaining needle of each dial pair to another cylinder needle in the next succeeding course, and then knitting a plurality of courses of plain fabric on cylinder needles only.

4. A method of transferring loops of knitted fabric from dial needles to cylinder needles on circular, independent needle, knitting machines of the dial and cylinder type wherein the dial needles are arranged in groups and are adapted to knit multi-Wale rib fabric which includes the steps of projecting all but the first needle of one dial needle group on one revolution of the dial to transfer the loops thereon and then transferring to cylinder needles the loops on all of the needles of all of the remaining dial needle groups and, on a subsequent revolution of the dial, transferring to a cylinder needle the loop on the remaining needle of the rst mentioned dial needle group.

5. A method of transferring from rib to plain knitting on an independent needle knitting machine having a first needle bed and a second needle bed wherein needles are arranged in groups adapted to knit multi-Wale rib fabric which includes the steps of projecting one needle only of a group in said rst bed so as to transfer a loop thereon to a needle in said second bed in one course and transferring a loop from another needle of said group to another needle in said second bed in a subsequent course.

6. A method of transferring loops of knitted fabric from dial needles to cylinder needles in a circular, independent needle, knitting machine which comprises transferring the loops on alternate dial needles during one revolution of said dial and cylinder and transferring the loops on intermediate dial needles on the next revolution of said dial and cylinder.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,035,751 Scott Aug. 13, 1912 1,352,078 Matlack Sept. 7, 1920 1,869,147 Hill July 26, 1932 1,896,686 Ingalls Feb. 7, 1933 2,153,019 Holmes Apr. 4, 1939 2,157,300 Neuhauss May 9, 1939 2,164,337 McAdams July 4, 1939 2,181,679 McAdams Nov. 28, 1939 2,198,626 Lawson et al Apr. 30, 1940 2,255,068 Lawson et al. Sept. 9, 1941 2,286,805 Hurd et al. July 16, 1942 2,380,822. Brooksby et al. July 31, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 22,373 Great Britain 1894 

